Advice needed
My husband's aunt (she's 80 yrs young) gave me 3 quilt tops and blocks for 2 more. All 3 tops and one set of blocks were made by her husband's grandmother. They were hand pieced and are very pretty. You can tell by looking at them that they are old, but they are in very good condition.
My question is: Would it be okay to quilt them so they can be enjoyed by our family or should they be left as is? Also, if I quilt them, would I wash them first? They have been stored for long time. They will have to be quilted on a machine. I cannot do hand quilting nor can I afford to have them hand quilted. I know from a historic value that they are only considered to be as old as the newest material added. I don't think my family really cares about that. I was thinking of using muslin. Is that what would have been used for backings back at the time they would have been made?
The other set of blocks were made by my husband's aunt. She has the backing and batting that she bought when she bought the material that she made them with. She made it over 15 years ago.
Sorry this post is so long.